My Golden Angel 2: For Lack of a Better Wife
by clogz
Summary: As if having a drop dead gorgeous strategist of a husband was not enough to cope with, Sun Chan, daughter of Sun Ce, now has rogue Liu Bei lovers, a pissy best friend with a death wish, and an enigmatic stalker to top it off. Who said marriage was easy?
1. Prologue

For Lack of a Better Wife.

Prologue -

THUD.

Sun Chan flumped to the floor again for what must have been the tenth time in that span of ten minutes. And yes, for lack of a better word, she flumped – since there was no delicate or lady-like way to otherwise put it.

She gave a light groan, looking up from the tiled surface and blowing a stray lock of brown hair away from her eyes irritably.

"Umm… I guess there has been _some_ improvement…" drawled the tall, lean man who stood beside her, twirling a wooden practice pole around with the fingers of his left hand, his right placed on his hip, in a pose which suggested that he was actually trying to understand the mechanics of why women and fighting did not slot together so easily.

A small silence followed as Chan attempted to jump to her feet, fell once again, thought the better of her adventure and clumsily lifted her body off the ground. "Really, how?"

Her gullibility amazed Ling Tong.

"Maybe now we have an excuse to re-tile the floor?"

A growl was shot at his snide remark, though Sun Chan was in no mood to hold a five minute grudge, and with a whiny painful sigh, she kicked her pole across the floor and tossed her hair grumpily over her shoulder. "I'm sure I'll master this eventually."

Ling Tong spoke in a mutter as she flounced off into the direction of the corridor. "Because you have so much patience…"

Leaving the training halls, the pair strolled through the halls of the palace of Jiangdong silently, walking in a comfortable silence, an early morning atmosphere spreading calm across the building. The large wooden doors of the great hall loomed directly in front of them, and they drew to a halt, ready to turn separate ways.

"Well I'm off to take care of strictly officer business!" Ling Tong joked with a grin, knowing that excluding Sun Chan in the gentlest way possible often had hilarious results.

She gave him a lazy scowl in return. "Well I'm off to take care of strictly… my own business?"

"Like brushing your hair and reapplying powder?"

As per usual, he was granted a playful punch in the arm.

"Ow!" Ling Tong gave his shoulder a rub, along with a wince, raising an eyebrow delicately. "You know, I think all this training is working."

Genuine compliment caused Sun Chan to beam up at her best friend; "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

A pause.

There was a laugh, then, "you know, don't even answer that."

"Answer what?"

Ling Tong and Sun Chan were startled by the voice of another general. They turned to notice for the first time that the hall doors had quietly opened, the grand architecture and bold, royal colours of where Sun Chan's uncle, Sun Quan, spent the majority hours of his time, now visible.

However the main attraction for Chan was the young man leaning casually against the huge doorframe. Golden-brown tousled hair which floated casually in front of topaz eyes, strong, however gently built arms folded across a tanned chest. A smile from her husband lifted Sun Chan's spirits even higher.

"Man, why do you have to walk around topless?" Ling Tong joked, poking Lu Xun irritatingly in the head as the young, golden boy walked towards Sun Chan.

_If you've got it, flaunt it?_

Chan cursed her mind for wandering off once again.

"I went for a run around the gardens, excuse me for staying healthy!"

He turned away from Ling Tong's silent mimicking and smiled calmly at his wife.

"Morning, Chan."

"How was your run?"

"Perfect. The gardens are beautiful this time of year."

_It's not just beautiful _outside_…_

And again, she needed to mentally scold herself.

Ling Tong was still on his rant. She tuned back into planet 'right now'. "…you know, if _I _strutted round with all my glory showing off, no one would be able to focus on anything else."

A general grimace swept around the corridor, and Sun Chan and Lu Xun rolled their eyes at each other.

"Well, thankyou for the lovely imagery, Ling Tong. But it's time for us to go?"

After a couple of minutes of goodbye exchanges, the two officers disappeared into the great hall, Lu Xun swinging the ornate doors heavily to a close behind him, not before throwing Chan a large smile and a wink.

The girl smiled to herself, standing stock still for a second, staring at the doors as if they held every answer, fixated on the spot where her husband had stood just seconds before.

Eventually, able to relieve herself, she turned to stroll back down in the direction she had previously walked with Ling Tong. However she passed the training hall and continued on to find herself outside, in the palace gardens, taking in a large breath of sweet countryside air and revelling in the cool morning breeze.

Before her, the mountains stretched in the distance, snow atop the highest peaks, glistening in the rays of sun, huts and houses on the plains below jutting out sweeping silhouettes.

Gravel and pebbles crunched gloriously beneath her sandals as she stepped out onto the pathway, the arms of plants reaching out to stroke her shoulders as Chan glided past them peacefully. Lu Xun was right. The gardens were beautiful – a vast array of pink blossoms, orange lilies and purple hues of flowers surrounded her in this paradise.

The air was tranquil. So much like the relationship of that of her and her husband now was. There was no real fighting anymore; though there was still a shyness. She still couldn't capture him as her own, because she was too scared to lose him if she ever managed to become close to him. Everytime there was any chance of an intimacy, she would drag herself away. Chan could not understand what was drawing her back from what she really wanted.

There was a feeling inside her that her husband still thought she was the immature little spoilt princess whom she had been when they had first been married.

Really, the little spoilt brat was still inside her. She knew it. She had been raised like one – to have others take care of her troubles for her and to never have to lay a finger on anything representing hard work of any kind.

But she would break out of this image. She was going to show Lu Xun who she really was. All that was needed was her new secretive training, the perfect opportunity, and the ability to convince a certain pirate of a few favours.

Her chance was on its way – just not in the form that she ever dreamed it would take.


	2. Finding Comfort

When you're a young girl, one of the most annoying quirks of life is when there is gossip flooding around a building, and try as hard as you may, it is impossible to find out what that gossip is.

Because at the breakfast table in the mess hall of the Jiangdong palace the next morning, a whisper was slowly making its way down each bench, and a twittery Sun Chan waited eagerly for it to reach her, ignoring Gan Ning's jibes.

"'onestly, how should you care about the business of us officers? You're a woman…" The pirate growled, two booted feet lying heavily across the breakfast table as he leant back leisurely.

"Don't start," Chan frowned, thinking briefly for a second of her late Aunt, Sun Shang Xiang; the number one protestor of women's rights; "or I'll go all Auntie Sun on you."

There was a scowl in response, and the pirate turned back to his breakfast, which he proceeded to shoving noisily into his mouth.

She ignored the attractive display of the male eating habits across the other side of the table and looked about the room for where the gossip was focused. Not being able to help feeling slightly left out, Chan's heart sank ever so slightly as some soldiers caught her gaze and toned down their mutterings self-consciously. She gave an evil squint in their general direction, foolishly thinking it would throw them off, though of course nothing of the type happened.

"Goodness kiddo, have you got something stuck in your eye?"

The lean figure of Ling Tong appeared as if from nowhere, stood casually beside their table observing Chan with a worried eye.

Chan presented him with some feeble mumblings about wanting to know the mornings gossip as Gan Ning rolled his eyes; "she's just being her usual nosy self. I won't tell her anything so she's givin' me the silent treatment alright."

"Whatever," Ling Tong flapped away his words tiredly, "I'm bored of all this rubbish, lets go train…" he gave her a little shove, moving her a couple of inches, then removing his hand and leaving her to fall back to her previous position, staring wide-eyed at the soldiers who were so obviously dishing out all the information.

"Chan! I promise to laugh at all your hilarious jokes and not at your rubbish fighting skills if you just move your backside now girl!"

She perked up, wide-eyed. "All of them?"

"Every damn witty one-liner. Now c'mon, move it."

Leaving Gan Ning to noisily chew his breakfast, the pair made their way down to one of the officers training halls, Ling Tong grabbing a pair of sparring poles upon entrance. He threw one across to Sun Chan, watched her clumsily grapple for it, then heard the wood smack the floor painfully. "Well that's where we start today then…" he sighed.

The couple trained for a good half an hour, Ling Tong throwing Sun Chan hits, and she in turn blocking them, slowly, and clumsily, but blocking nonetheless. They had been performing this routine every morning upon Chan and her husbands arrival home from Yi Ling, upon her request; quietly informing Ling Tong that she undertook the classes for her own personal reasons, bidding him to keep it a secret from her husband and anyone else who would object.

Ling Tong had led himself to believe it was what her Aunt Sun Shang Xiang would have wanted; she in turn wanted to know this in her heart, but in truth was yearning for a way to prove herself to her husband. She knew that this would eventually come through herself being stronger, less vulnerable, confident – though how it would come about, she had no idea.

Ling Tong drew back and held up a palm in signal to stop. "Right, well I think that's enough for today. Thanks Chan, you definitely provide the early morning humour…"

She was too out of breath to retaliate, so Tong took pity, for once. "Sorry. I do think you're improving though… but maybe if you had a goal then this would become a lot easier for you?"

A shake of the head, a collapse to the floor with a panting sigh. "No… its ok, I know what I'm doing… I just need to focus…"

"Don't wear yourself out, just be yourself. It's like you're trying too hard at the moment."

"I'm fine."

Ling Tong shrugged, and threw his pole to a side, flipping his bangs out of his face with a flick of the wrist.

However he stopped, mid-flick, and his eyes grew wide, in surprise, or shock? Sun Chan raised an eyebrow and poked him in the leg from where she was sat cross legged on the floor. "What? You look like you've seen a ghost or something!"

At no reply, she swivelled awkwardly on the floor and looked to face what her friend was gazing so longingly at.

"Oh, hello…"

A soft caressing voice filtered through the hall, slipping delicately over every object it passed, causing Sun Chan to also widen her eyes and sit stunned.

The owner of the voice stood in the doorway, gingerly holding a basket of steaming rolls, fresh from the oven. The smell of crisp, brown bread engulfed Sun Chan and caused her mouth to water, whilst she looked the girl holding the parcel up and down critically. She was, in a word, gorgeous; with silky black hair tied into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, wispy tendrils falling beside her rosy cheeks in rebellion, the brightest of blue eyes staring out from a heart-shaped face timidly.

"Sorry to bother you, I was just on my rounds, would you like any food?"

Chan frowned up at Ling Tong. Judging by the slightly open mouth and staring eyes, he definitely did. She had never seen him so stunted by a womans presence – here he was, hanging onto her figure with his eyes as if she were a lifeline, a rock.

"Uh… no thankyou…" He managed to utter in a slow drawl, though not in his usual sarcastic way.

Sun Chan looked between the pair dartingly, from the shy maid to Ling Tong's obvious attraction. The girl with the bread tucked a tendril behind her ear and smiled.

"Well, I had better be on my way then… goodbye…

An absent smile, as if sunlight was shining on his world; "Bye…"

A giggle from loafgirl. "Bye…"

Sun Chan made herself comfy and settled down to wait out the goof parade.

……….

The wind whipped ferociously at the flowers clasped tightly in her cold, clammy hands, forcing to rip the gentle lily heads from their stalks.

Sun Chan braced against the elements, bare feet sinking gently into the sand, her toes scrunching up the grains beside the waters edge. The river flowed dangerously by her legs, and her eyes followed its winding trail through into the mountains cautiously.

Now staring up into the sky, the clouds parted to let the sunshine fall gently on her face. "Shang Xiang… if you can hear me?"

It was as if the sun itself heard her whispers, and its warmth radiated about her cheeks. "I'm trying so hard to make this relationship with Lu Xun work… I know you wanted it to… and I'm sorry that you can't see how hard I'm training right now… just how you did when you wanted to prove to people how we can be just as great…"

The wind tugged gently at her loose linen clothing as if to chide her. "I don't really know if this is doing me any good, and I feel pretty stupid right now… just watch over us… please."

The lilies, her Aunts favourite flowers, the colour of sunset, were dropped to the waters, and as if grabbed by some liquid hand, were rushed away down the current along with the sparkling rays of sun against the surface.

Chan watched them go with a sigh, and suddenly the chill of the evening air caught her; forcing her to shiver involuntarily. She imagined the warm embrace of her husband, his arms wrapping around her from behind… and suddenly it felt so realistic.

"Oh!"

Lu Xun smiled into her hair, his chin resting softly atop her shoulder. She could sense his smug smile. "Did I scare you?"

Chan rolled her eyes, but secretly she was thrilled. He was really there…

"You always scare me, you're pretty damn frightening."

There was a chiming laugh, and he held onto her tighter, sharing her gaze with the river, following the same train of thought and reminiscing of the same loss.

"I know she would be proud of you." He stated, moving his head to press his chin lightly against the top of her head, making up his full height, towering over her frame.

Chan gave a snort. "For what? She must have hated me! I was so mean to her... do you know what the last thing I told her was?"

"I'm sure that she had forgotten it by the time she made her decision. There's no point in worrying about it now. You knew her better than me; and I know that she could never loathe you."

"Hmm."

There was a small silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of the ripples of the river against Chan's feet on the pebbles. The wind caught her hair, wrapping it in breeze, and she shook in cold against him.

"You're freezing, we should head back to the palace." Lu Xun advised gently, unwrapping her from his embrace and taking her hand fondly in his own.

When she would not budge, staring down at the riverbed, he pressed his lips up to kiss her rosy, chilled cheeks for a long moment. She turned to face him just as he pulled away. Disappointment lingered inside her.

Smiling gently, he pulled her away from the river and led her up the slope to where the edge of the town lay next to the feet of the palace. Sun Chan felt her fingers under his palm and thought to herself that just maybe, this meant that everything was going to be perfect once again.


End file.
